Leverage Point #3: The goals of the system

 

Civil society members are typically given short, symbolic, 2-minute speeches throughout all of a negotiating session. Sometimes, this one allocation for all of civil society creates tensions as to which individual or organization is selected to speak on behalf of all of us. Photo credit: SustainUS (sustainus.org)

I have been thinking a lot about ego lately.

It has been remarkable to think about how many times ego has been brought up in my interviews. I typically ask my subjects to provide me with an example of both a policy or campaign failure and success – and it’s been striking to see ego come up in their examples.

Fatima, a campaigner with Avaaz, recalled a successful campaign lobbying the UK government to back away from a plan to remove climate change from the country’s mandatory education curriculum. She mentioned that part of the reason she believed the campaign succeeded was because NGOs worked together to form a coalition. In other words, each campaigner checked their personal egos at the door, willing to forego their own organizational talking points with the goal of working toward a shared goal.

We don’t often speak about egos at COP, or within climate organizing at large, but being at the UNFCCC this week has made me more aware of its existence. Oftentimes, we – myself included! – get so caught up in our individual priorities and in the limelight that we forget to create space for others to receive the spotlight. Most importantly, we can forget to collaborate.

I’ve seen ego creep up a lot this week. There have been conversations about which individual representing which organization gets to deliver the civil society speech to environment ministers, or who gets to ask the question of the famous government leader coming to town. It is maddening to see personal and organizational interest get in the way of the common cause we are all here to fight.

I recognize how important it is for marginalized and front line communities to be represented in these discussions – this in no way targets them, but rather targets the (mostly White, mostly middle-aged, mostly male) campaigners who immediately offer to take on a public speaking opportunity without considering who else is in the room.

Ego is definitely not the only problem to solving climate change – in fact, it is nowhere close to being the biggest one, either – but I wonder if being more conscious of our egos could help us better work together. I myself have been trying to personally recognize situations in which I might be letting my personal feelings get in the way of working with others, and am trying to support as many people as I can while I’m here (although I acknowledge that I am in no way perfect).

With one week left of COP21, I wonder if we can put our differences aside to work together.